Architecture Thesis - Against The Slope

Caleb Matheson

Thesis

Project:

Readers:

Jurors:

Against THE SLOPE

Andrew Kudless

Meg Jackson Drexel Turner

University of Houston

2022

College of Architecture & Design

Caleb Matheson

DAM CITIES

Contents

Page:

Section:

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Background

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Premise

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Design

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THESIS

2022

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Caleb Matheson

DAM CITIES

80,000 Dams in The USA ONLY 3% OF THEM Produce Power.

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THESIS

2022

What about the other 97 Percent?

Most dams in the USA are not powered. This is typically because the dams are too old ,too small, or too remote to warrant infrastructure. Besides Energy generation. Non powered dams often do the following Flood Control Livestock Water Supply Recreation Containment of Mine Tailings

Section 1/3 (Background)

Human Water Supply Pollution Control Irrigation

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Non Powered Dam Distribution All NPDs in US with Capacity Greater than 100 Households (1mw

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(Greater than 1 Mw) (1Mw = 100 Households)

THESIS

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1 - 30Mw 30 - 100Mw 100 - 250Mw 250 - 500Mw

Section 1/3 (Background)

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DAM CITIES

What if instead of bringing the power to the city

we bring the city to the power?

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THESIS

2022

Household Potential (Non Powered Dams) The United States Department of Energy Wind and Water Program analyzed the existing 80,000 dams across the country. The report determined that there are 54,391 NPDs that have the potential for developers to turn them into powered dams.

The report also found that adding power to these NPDs has the potential to increase new renewable

Section 2/3 (PREMISE)

capacity within the United States up to 12,000 megawatts. This would increase hydro-power production by a hefty 15%. Enough power to sustain 1.2million households without burning any C02 or damaging more animal migration paths The report suggests that even if 100 NPDs with the most power production potential were converted, this would increase new reliable power

by 8 gigawatts. Enough power to sustain 800,000 households.

Many of these dams are too old ,too small, or too remote to warrant necessary infrastructure so If It doesn’t make sense to transport relatively small amounts of energy long distances to town - what if you just bring sustainable towns to the power source?

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Caleb Matheson

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DAM CITIES

THESIS

Section 1/3 (Background)

2022

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DAM CITIES

Garthright Dam

Garthright Dam

47 Miles

ROANOKE, VIRGINIA

Specifications Power Output - 9.3Mw Head - 182Ft Capacity: 1550 HouseHolds Height: 257FT Width 1310FT

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Closest City - Roanoke Distance - 47 Miles Line Savings- $14 Million

THESIS

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SITE The project is sited at Garthright Dam a non-powered embankment dam in a remote portion of the Appalachian Mountains along the border between Virginia and West Virginia.

The dam has the potential to power up to 1500 households. However, the dam-side community only includes approximately 500 housing units to ensure that hydro- power is always available day and night.

The Dam’s distance from civilization and its size both make it the best candidate for a hydro powered city.

The project features public amenities such as grocery markets and gardens.

The circulation within the project

Section 3/3 (DESIGN)

is mostly done by way of electronic bicycles and scooters which can be charged and stored at each level.

The projects proximity to the reservoir allows water to be gathered and used to irrigate plants along passageways and ramps to create a layered green community

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DAM CITIES

Terrace Algorithm WHats the Point?

Traditional stepped terraces are great ,but on very large slopes where people must travel significant distances up and down. The stairs that traditional terraces require become very annoying and exhausting

Garthright Dam Terrace System This new system creates gradually sloped terraces that are all interconnected by a common path, allowing for electronic bicycles and scooters to traverse up and down the large slope with ease.

Terrace Base

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Walk & Bike Path

Triangular Build Plots

THESIS

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10°

14°

18°

22°

26°

30°

34°

38°

42°

Section 3/3 (DESIGN)

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Garthright Dam Original Gathright Dam is an earthen and rolled rock-fill embankment dam on the Jackson River. The dam is 257 feet (78 m) tall and 1,310 feet (400 m) long and has a controlled spillway within the structure’s southern

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portion. It creates Lake Moomaw, which has a normal volume of 40 billion US gallons (150,000,000 m3). The dam serves flood control and recreational purposes (findlakes)

THESIS

2022

Garthright Dam With Terrace System Pictured above is Garthright Dam with the Algorithmic terrace ramp system applied to it. The ramp switches back 14 times. Ensuring that The slope is extremely gradual So that homeowners and visitors

Section 3/3 (DESIGN)

have no problem casually walking up and down. At the top of the dam the slope is five times less steep than an ADA accessible ramp. If the winding path were to be uncoiled it would be just under 2 miles long.

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THESIS

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Master PLAN

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Terraces

Ordering Principles

Traditional flat terraces make it difficult to travel up and down large slopes as they require stairs to get from one level to another. This project implements a new kind of terrace which zigzags in both directions creating a ramped path that gradually guides people up and down the Project

This winding path creates triangular spaces between itself. These triangular plots are divided up into cells that can be assigned various types of program. Some cells are too small to be assigned housing so they function as space to store electronic bicycles and flexible market spaces.

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THESIS

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6 7

PLAN KEY 1 - Public Markets 2 - Stairs 3 - E-Bike Storage 4 - Assembly Space 5 - Housing Units 6 - Public Leisure 7- Public Retail

Section 3/3 (DESIGN)

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Caleb Matheson

UNITS

Level +1

Level 0 Level -1 Level -2

Level -2 Level -2 is the true ground level relative to each unit. Depicted here this plan shows the relationship of the units at the ground level to the markets on the building adjacent to them. It’s easy for homeowners to leave their house collect whatever goods they need in return in a very convenient manner.

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DAM CITIES

THESIS

2022

Level -1 This level is the level just above the ground level it Is primarily a loft level that supports the level below with places to sleep. Whenever the space is big enough a bathroom can also be added. The space is open to the level below in a double height living. The loft is accessed by either stairs or a ladder.

Level 0 This level is the second ground level (where the terrace switches back and reconnects to the units) Each housing unit on this level includes many of the same things as the true ground level living space, kitchens, bathrooms, porches and patios and there’s a set of stairs that connect the level above.

Level +2 The top loft primarily features places to sleep, much like level (-1) but the top loft always has expansive views out of the housing complex.

Where the roofs peel up the spaces or are one of the spaces that have expansive views forwards are out of the project.

Section 3/3 (DESIGN)

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THESIS

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DAM CITIES

Architectural Symbiosis

14 Buildings, One Community The complex actually consists of 14 separate buildings divided by a winding foot path however, these 14 buildings depend on each others program to create a seamless communal experience. For example, adjacent buildings often feature housing across from public markets.

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THESIS

2022

ROOF SYSTEM Wave Perforation Floating Above the housing is a continuous standing seam recycled metal roof which provides shading and cover from the elements. Where the tallest units make contact with this roof the roof lifts Creating opportunities for views Over the neighboring houses.

Section 3/3 (DESIGN)

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DAM CITIES

THESIS

2022

Public SWitchbacks E Bikes The project circulation was designed with bikes and scooters in mind.

Everywhere the project switches back there are locations for storing ones electronic bicycle or electronic scooter. These vehicles make it very easy to travel up and down the dam in a seamless way. The paths themselves are separated so that half of the path is dedicated to Bicycle and scooter traffic, and the other half dedicated to pedestrians. a walkable bikable city in the woods.

Section 3/3 (DESIGN)

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THESIS

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Sources

What makes a good hydro site?

US Hydropower Potential

https://www.renewablesfirst.co.uk/ hydropower/hydropower-learning-centre/ what-makes-a-good-hydro-site/

https://hydrosource. ornl.gov/dataset/ us-hydropower-potential-existing-non-powered-dams-greater-1mw Energy Consumption

Climate Clock https://climateclock. world/ Converting Non-Powered Dams into Hydroelectric Dams https://www.electricchoice.com/blog/converting-dams-hydroelectric/

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http://www.columbia. edu/~mhs119/EnergyConsump/ Photos: Yann Allegere Wikipedia lode lagrainge

THESIS

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University of Houston

Man Suffers only because he takes serious what the gods made for fun.

- ALAN Watts

ARCHITECTURE